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Aarne–Thompson–Uther index
About this index and how to read it
The ATU index classifies international folktales by type. Each row gives the type number, its title and summary, followed by the references it inherits: Arne Thompson is the earlier Aarne–Thompson type number, and Thompson lists the motif references from Thompson's Motif-Index of Folk-Literature associated with that type.
Cross-references inside a summary open the relevant tale-type or motif record. Thompson motif references in the final column are linked directly to the corresponding entry in the Stith Thompson Motif Index when that reference exists in the database. Any column heading can be clicked to sort by it, and clicking again reverses the order. Following a type number opens that type on its own page.
Anecdotes and Jokes 1200–1999
| ATU ▲ | Title | Summary | Arne Thompson | Thompson |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1200 | The Sowing of Salt | The numskull sows it like grain and expects it to produce salt [J1932.3], or plants a cow's tail to produce calves [J1932.4.1]. | , 1200 | J1932.1., J1932.2., J1932.3., J1932.4. |
| 1201 | The plowing | Four men carry the horse in order not to tramp up the field [J2163]. | 1201 | J2163. |
| 1202 | The Grain Harvesting | The grain is shot down with guns. When the unknown sickle is bought and tried, one man is cut with it. As punishment it is drowned. Cf. Type 1650. | 1202 | J2196. |
| 1203 | The Scythe Cuts one Man's Head off | All have theirs cut off. [J2422]. | ||
| 1204 | Fool Keeps Repeating his Instructions so as to remember them | He usually forgets them [J2671.2]. Cf. Type 1687. | ||
| 1211 | The Peasant Woman Thinks the Cow Chewing her Cud is Mimicking Her | Kills the cow. [J1835]. | ||
| 1212 | The Horse is Drawn across the Ice | Its skin is rubbed off [J1972]. | ||
| 1213 | The Pent Cuckoo | Fools build an enclosure to keep in the cuckoo. She flies over the hedge. They say that they have not built the hedge high enough. [J1904.2]. | 1213 | J1904.2. |
| 1214 | The Persuavive Auctioner | The auctioneer praises the man's worthless cow so much in his speech that the man takes her back himself [J2087]. | 1214 | J2087. |
| 1215 | The Man, the Boy, and the Donkey | Asinus Vulgi. Miller blamed when he follows his son on foot; when he takes the son's place on the ass; when he takes the son behind him; and when he puts the son in front of him. [J1041.2]. | , 1215 | J1041., J1041.2. |
| 1218 | Numskull Sits on Eggs to Finish Hatching | Cautions people to be quiet and not frighten the eggs. (Sometimes puts on honey and feathers before sitting on the eggs.) [J1902.1]. Cf. Type 1677. | , 1218 | J1902.1., K1253. |
| 1225 | The man without a head in the bear's den | A man's head is snatched off by accident and his companions do not see what has happened. Debate: did he ever have a head? [J2381]. | J2381. | |
| 1226 | The Rabbit Catch | The trap on the stable roof. Cf. Type 1171. | ||
| 1227 | One woman to catch the squirrel; the other to get the cooking pot | One falls from the tree and kills herself; the other breaks the pot. [J2661.3]. | 1227 | J2661.3. |
| 1228 | Shooting with a Gun | A man looks down the gun-barrel as it is shot [J2131.4.1]. Cf. Type 1158. | ||
| 1229 | If the Wolf's Tail Breaks | Trickster and companion are wolf hunting. The companion goes into the wolf hole. The wolf comes out. The other catches the wolf by the tail and the wolf scratches dust into the companion's eyes. »What a dust.» - »If the wolf's tail breaks, you… | 1229 | X1133.3.2. |
| 1231 | The Actack on the Hare (Crayfish) | Seven men make strenuous plans for the attack on the fierce animal. One screams with fright and the animal runs away. [J2612]. Cf. Type 103. | 1231 | J2612. |
| 1238 | The Roof in Good and Bad Weather | The man does not need a roof when it is fair; cannot put it on when it rains. [J2171.2.1]. Cf. Types 43, 81. | ||
| 1240 | Man sitting on branch of tree cuts it off | Een poep wil een klokketouw stelen. Hij klimt erin en snijdt het boven zijn hoofd af [cf. J2133.4]. | 1240 | J2133.4. |
| 1241 | The tree is to be pulled down | Fools try to save tree on cliff. All on rope pull out tree. It pulls them down into pit. | 1241A | na |
| 1242 | Loading the wood | A rider takes the meal-sack on his shoulder to relieve the ass of his burden. | 1242, 1242A | J1874.1., J2213.4. |
| 1243 | The wood is carried down the hill | Then carried back up in order to roll it down [J2165]. | ||
| 1245 | Sunlight carried in a bag into the windowless house | When this plan does not succeed they gradually pull down the house in order to get light. | 1245 | J2123. |
| 1246 | The Axes Thrown Away | The first lets his axe fall. The others throw theirs into the same place [J2171.4]. | ||
| 1247 | The Man Sticks his Head into the Hole of the Millstone | It rolls into the lake. [J2131.5.4]. Cf. Type 1241. | ||
| 1249 | Oxen Hitched Before and Behind Wagon | Cf. Type 801. | ||
| 1250 | Bringing Water from the Well | A log is laid across the top of the well. One man holds to the log with his hands, the next climbs down and holds to his feet, and so on; the uppermost man becomes tired and lets go to spit on his hands. [J2133.5]. Cf. Type 121. | 1250, 1250A | J2133.5., J2133.6.1. |
| 1255 | A hole to throw the earth in | Numskull plans to dig a hole so as to have a place to throw the earth from his excavations. [J1934]. | 1255 | J1934. |
| 1260 | Jumping into the sea for fish | They put meal into the ice hole and then, one after another, all jump in to taste the porridge. [J1938]. | 1260 | J1938. |
| 1261 | The Slaughter of the Ox | In preparation, the feet are cut off the evening before. [J2168]. | ||
| 1263 | The Porridge Eaten in Different Rooms | The porridge in one, the milk in another [J2167]. | 1263 | J2167. |
| 1270 | The Drying of the Candle | The candle is laid in the stove to dry; melts [J2122]. | 1270 | J2122. |
| 1276 | Rowing without going forward | One woman rows in one direction, another in the opposite; or rowing in a boat which is tied up. [J2164.1, J2l64.2]. | , 1276 | J2164.1., J2164.2. |
| 1277 | The Boat Gets Tired | The woman tries to tire out her rival's boat so as to win the race, but only tires herself. [J1884]. | ||
| 1278 | Marking the place on the boat | An object falls into the sea from a boat. Numskulls mark the place on the boat-rail to indicate where it fell. [J1922.1]. | 1278, 1278* | J1922.1., J1922.2. |
| 1279 | Protected by the Needle | In a storm on the ice, fools stick needles into the ice to keep from blowing away. [J1965]. | ||
| 1280 | The Needle (or the like) Falls into the Sea | The man hunts it the next summer. [J1921]. | ||
| 1281 | Burning the Barn to Destroy an Unknown Animal | The cat (owl) is bought. Eats many mice. To kill it they set the house on fire. [J2101]. Cf. Type 1651. | 1281, 1281A | J1815., J2101. |
| 1285 | Pulling on the shirt | The shirt is sewed together at the neck. The man's head is cut off so that the shirt can be put on him. [J2161.2]. | ||
| 1286 | Jumping into the Breeches | The woman tries to pull on her husband's breeches for him on both legs at once. | 1286 | J2161.1. |
| 1287 | Numskull unable to count their own number | No examples in the Database yet | 1287 | J2031., J2031.1. |
| 1288 | 'These are not my feet' | A stranger helps them with a switch. [J2021]. | 1288 | J2021. |
| 1290 | Swimming in the Flax-field | Peasants go to visit the sea. They see a waving flax field, and thinking it is the sea, jump in for a swim. [J1821]. | 1290 | J1821. |
| 1291 | Sending One Cheese After Another | One cheese falls and rolls down the hill. She sends the second to bring back the first. [J1881.1.2]. | 1291, 1291B, 1291C | J1871., J1881.1.2., J1881.1.3. |
| 1293 | Numskull Stays until he has Finished | As he is making water he hears a brook flowing and mistakes what it is. He waits for a day and a half. [J1814]. | ||
| 1294 | Getting the Calf's Head out of the Pot | A calf gets its head caught in the pot. A fool cuts off the calf's head and then breaks the pot to get it out. [J2113]. | 1294 | J2113. |
| 1295 | The Seventh Cake Satisfies | Fool regrets that he had not eaten number seven first since that was the one that brought satisfaction. [J2213.3]. | ||
| 1296 | Fool's Errand | People sent to get imaginary things. (Left-handed monkey wrench and the like.) [J2346]. | 1296 | J2346. |
| 1309 | Choosing the Clean Figs | From figs which have been urinated on he is to choose only clean ones. In testing he eats them all. | ||
| 1310 | Drowning the crayfish as punishment | Eel, crab, turtle, etc. express fear of water and are thrown in. | , 1310 | J1762.1.2., K581.1. |
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